Whip-socket.



H. H. RANDALL.

WHIP SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2B, 1913,

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

COLUMBIA ILANOGRM'H cu. wAsumnros, 0, c4

WW1 ST HARRY H. RANDALL, OF BETHANY, NEBRASKA.

WHIP-SOCKET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. RANDALL, citizen of the United States residing at Bethany, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 1V hip- Sockets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ii'nprovements in combined whip sockets and locks, whereby the whip may be locked in position and prevented from surreptitious removal from the socket, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device which may be applied without material structural change to whip sockets of various forms, either those already in use or upon sockets constructed especially to receive the improved attachment.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the improved device. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the outer face of the lock casingremoved. Fig. 1 is a vertical section on the line 4t 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation illustrating the construction of the key hole and the key hole guard. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the key.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device comprises a body portion 10 which is preferably tubular in outline and likewise preferably constructed of metal and formed wit-h an encircling channel near the upper end to receive an endless packing member 11 with the outer end beyond the packing member flaring outwardly as shown, to facilitate the insertion of the whip, and to support the same in position without injury thereto.

The improved attachment comprises an annular member 18 disposed within the socket below the packing member 11 and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 28, 1913.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914. Serial No. 776.378.

connected at one edge to the interior of the socket. The member 13 may be attached 111 any suitable manner, but is preferably formed with a resilient. depending portion 14 riveted or otherwise secured at 15 to the socket. By this means the member 13 may be bent downwardly at its free edge and will automatically return to its horizontal position. A look casing is associated with the body 10 and includes an intermediate partition 21 and removable closure 22. Mounted for rotation through the partition 1s a pin 16 having a stem 17 extending therefrom at one side of the partition. Connected at one end at 18 to the annular member 13 at the side opposite to the connection 14: is a link 19, the opposite end of the link being connected to be moved by the pin 16. By this arrangement it will be obvious that by oscillating the pin 16 the member 13 may be bent downwardly upon its flexible connection l i and disposed obliquely to the longitudinal plane of the socket 10, and thus producing a binding effect upon a whip when inserted through the packing member 11 and likewise through the annular member 18. A suitable locking device may be arranged to coactively operate with the stem 17 to lock the latter in position and require a peculiar form of key to manipulate the locking members. Any suitable locking means may be employed to accomplish this result, and for the purpose of illustration a conventional locking mechanism is shown associated with the stem 17 and actuated simultaneously therewithby a suitable key. Th'e mechanism shown for illustration comprises a sleeve 23 loose upon the pin 16 and held thereon at the side of the partition next to the interior of the body 10 by a screw 24 or other suitable device. Formed upon the sleeve 23 and operating against the opposite side of the partition is an arm 25 having lateral pins 26 spaced apart, and formed upon the pin 16 between the pin and the stem 17 is an arm 28 which extends between the pins 26 and is considerably less in width than the distance between the pins so that a considerable degree of play is permitted tothe arm between the pins, the object to be hereafter explained. Rigidly connected to the sleeve 23 is the hub portion 29 of an arm 30 which is pivo-tally connected to the lower end of the link 19.

Mounted to slide between guide studs 31 OK- tending from the partition 21 1s a plate 32 which operates in the same manner as thebolt portion of a lock and is provided with the usual slot or cavity 33 into which one of the wards of the key engages. Pivoted at 34 to the plate 32 are the tumbler devices 35 of the usual construction and provided with inwardly directed lugs of varying lengths to engage uponL opposite sides of a stationary stud 37. The plate member 32 is provided with a longitudinal slot 38 through which the stud 37 projects, so that the plate may be moved vertically over the stud. Each of the tumblers 35 is provided with an independently operating spring, one of which is shown at 39, and operating to maintain the tumbler yieldably against the stud 37. The plate 32 is provided with a projection 40 with which a retarding spring 41 engages to hold the member 32 from premature movement.

The ward end of a key is represented at 42 and provided with a socket indicated at 43 to engage over the stem 17 which is formed square so that when the key is rotated the stem will be rotated therewith. The ward portion of the key is provided with its outer face irregular with one portion 44 to engage the notch or recess 33 of the member 32 together with the arm 25 and with a plurality of step-like portions 45 to engage the tumblers 35 of the lock.

It will be noted that the arm 28 operating between the pins 25 is permitted a certain amount of lost motion which enables the key to manipulate the stem 17 and the arm 29 a certain distance before the member 25 and its attachments is picked up and caused to operate. By this means the wards 45 of the key actuate the tumblers and dispose them in position to pass over the stud 37 before the arm 25 and the wards 44 of the key engage the member 32.

The key hole is represented conventionally at 46 and radiating from the key hole are slots 47-48. The slot 47 is located in alinement with the upper position of the recess or notch 33, while the slot 48 is located in alinement with the lowest position of the recess.

The member 13 will be maintained normally in its upper or horizontal position, and will permit the whip to be inserted or removed without being looked as required, or under ordinary conditions, but when it is desired to lock the whip within the socket the key is inserted with its wards through the upper slot 47 and operated to move the wards to the position opposite the slot 48 when the key can be removed. When the key is first moved, as above described, the arm 28 moves through the space between the pins 27, but without causing motion to the member 25 and its attachments, but this preliminary movement of the key sets the tumblers 35 with their slots in alinement opposite the stud 37, and then the continued downward movement of the key causes the arm 28 to engage the lower pin 27 and carry the member 25 downwardly against the member 32 and thus actuates the latter and at the same time causes the member 29-30 to carry the member 13 downwardly into an oblique position and clampthe same against the whip, the knob upon the bottom of the whip preventing its removal through the depressed member 13. As the projections 36 pass below the line of the stud 37 the springs 39 move the tumblers into position above the stud, and thus lock the member 32 in its downward position and likewise lock the member 25 and its attachments in downward position and complete the locking action. When the whip is'to be released the key is inserted with its wards opposite the slot 48 when the movement of the key will result in the release of the lock in the same manner as above described but in the reverse order.

A guard plate 49 is pivoted at 50 to the closure 22 and bears over the key hole 46 and its obliquely directed slots, and thus protects the latter and prevents the entrance of rain, snow, dust, or the like.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured and applied, and adapted to whips of various forms and sizes without material structural change in the device.

Any suitable means may be employed for fastening the body 10 to the dashboard or other part of the vehicle, but as these fastening devices do not constitute a part of the present invention, it is not deemed necessary to illustrate the same.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a whip socket, an inclosing casing, a holding member within said casing for receiving a whip, a yieldable device coupling said holding member at one side to said socket, and means operating upon the holding member at the other side thereof to move the same against the resistance of said. yieldable device into position obliquely to the longitudinal plane of the casing.

2. The combination with a whip socket, of a holding member for receiving a whip, means for coupling said holding member at one side to said socket, a member mounted for rotation in said socket, an arm directed radially from said rotative member, and a link connecting said holding member and operating to move the same into position obliquely to the longitudinal plane of the socket when the rotative member is actuated.

3. The combination with a whip socket, of a holding member through which a whip porting said holding member at one side, a

stem mounted for rotation, coupling means between said stem and holding member at the opposite side to cause the holding member to be disposed obliquely to the longitudinal plane of the socket when the stem is rotated, and a locking device associated with the stem and operating to hold the same from movement, and a key arranged to operate said stem and locking device.

4. The combination with a whip socket, of a holding member through which a whip is adapted to pass, means for movably supporting said holding member at one side, a stem mounted for rotation, coupling means 0091:: of this patent may be obtained Ior five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

